The present invention relates to a frame to which a tensile sheet material can be attached and a method of attaching the material, so that it will be taut with a flat appearance. The frame consists of tracks which are slotted with a plurality of parallel ridges in the slot.
It has become common practice to attach a tensile sheet material to a frame, which has been previously attached to a surface such as a wall or ceiling. This is done either for decorative purposes, as a paneled effect can be achieved, or to hide imperfections in the surface sought to be covered, or in an attempt to conserve energy as it can be an extra layer of insulation, or the material can cover a layer of insulation.
In the frames presently used, a male and female member hold the tensile sheet material in position by friction, with the male and female member being of substantially the same size and shape. Examples of this type of system are set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 3,068,939 and British Pat. No. 1,165,725.
However, the frames of the state of the art have a major disadvantage in that as the tensile sheet material is being attached to the frame ripples, waves or other visually unacceptable features can occur due to the inherent stretch of the tensile sheet material. As the depth of the female member of these frames is only equal to the depth of the male member, there has been no practical way to adjust the tensile sheet material between the frame, so that is is progressively and uniformly tightened so that it becomes completely taut.